A Lift for Their Spirits : Volunteer Drivers Offer Cancer Patients Companionship as Well as Transportation

Three-year-old Jarrett Seiler likes to make people laugh. He specializes in making funny faces.

And, frequently, Jarrett finds he has a captive audience. That’s when he accompanies his mom, Sue Seiler, as she drives cancer patients to and from their treatments.

“People really respond to him because he’s so full of life,� said Seiler, as Jarrett stuck out his tongue and rolled his eyes.

Seiler is one of 51 Ventura County volunteers who provide transportation for the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program. Drivers pick up patients at their homes, wait for them to finish treatments, then drive them home again.

But--as demonstrated by Seiler and son and many other volunteers--the drivers give them much more than just a ride. Humor, compassion and empathy are important parts of the job.

“I’ve had a lot of people really open up, tell me their life experiences, their philosophies,� Seiler said. “There are a few people we’ve gotten really close to.�

Seiler recounted an experience with an elderly man she used to drive to treatment. When his brain tumor was determined to be inoperable, he stopped radiation and chemotherapy and moved to a convalescent hospital with his wife.

Although the couple no longer required the assistance of a driver, Seiler visited them in the hospital. They had no relatives living nearby, and Seiler became a surrogate family member.

Road to Recovery volunteers donate several hours a week, often arranging their own schedules around the patients’ appointments.

It is a crucial service for people who feel too sick to drive and whose family members work during the day, said Gig Wishon, field service manager of the cancer society’s Greater Ventura unit.

“We really rely on volunteers to staff the office and run the programs,� she said.

Volunteer driver Frieda Weinberg joined the group a few weeks ago. At age 76, she works almost full time as a travel agent, devotes many hours to volunteer service and still finds time to play cards with her friends.

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She is happy to volunteer, because she is happy to be alive. Weinberg is a survivor of cancer.

She joined the cancer society’s driving program so she could help other cancer patients.

“I felt like I had to do something to give back, after all I’ve gotten,� she said.

Six years ago, Weinberg was diagnosed with a malignant breast tumor. She underwent a lumpectomy, followed by a series of radiation treatments. Because the cancer had not spread, she was cured.

But she clearly remembers the nightmares and the cold sweats that her husband of 54 years coaxed her through.

“I was really in bad shape,� she said. “When you’re not sure whether you’re going to survive, you just live one day at a time.�

As a volunteer, Weinberg said she hopes to comfort other patients who fear they might die.

“You have to keep praying, keep plugging away, keep learning about your disease and doing everything you can to get through it,� she said.

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The first patient Weinberg drove was Camarillo resident Jerome Berres, who began cancer treatments three weeks ago. Though his wife drives him to most of his daily appointments, she asks volunteer drivers to assist her on occasion, providing her with a few hours of much-appreciated free time.

“It’s a relief to me,� said Geraldine Berres, who lives with her husband in Leisure Village, a retirement community.

“They’re wonderful. They’re reliable. I don’t have to call them, they call me,� she said. “I can’t say enough good things about the group.�

Road to Recovery began 30 years ago as a service of the American Cancer Society. The nationwide program arranges rides for thousands of cancer patients each year.

There are 131,000 cancer society volunteers and 529 staff members in California. In fact, 99.6% of the organization’s work force is volunteers.

Dr. Thomas Fogel, a radiation oncologist in Ventura and president-elect of the cancer society’s California division, spends an average of 10 hours each week in meetings and on conference calls, helping to set policy for the largest division of the national group.

Because of his position with the organization, his patients have close ties with the services it provides.

“It’s a huge organization in terms of what is done and how many people are impacted by the programs,� he said, citing a poll showing that an estimated 8 million Californians have at some time been exposed to a cancer society service. “That’s one-quarter of the state,� he said.

Still, he said it is sometimes difficult to recruit volunteers.

Retired telephone repairman Richard Brennan got involved because he was “just hanging around the house too much,� he said.

What began as a way to keep busy turned into a three-year commitment for Brennan, who frequently grows attached to the patients he transports.

“They show a lot of courage,� Brennan said. “They’re up, in good spirits, positive that they’ll be cured. They don’t seem upset about how bad they feel.�

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He recommends the experience to anyone. Yet even though the job is rewarding, it isn’t always easy. Inevitably, some patients die.

Seiler says dealing with death is the hardest part of volunteering.

She recalled one patient that she drove to appointments several times. The woman gave her son a Christmas present and invited them into her home for cookies. Seiler got to know her well and was very upset when she died.

“It’s sad,� she said. “But you carry them with you forever.�

Still, Seiler believes the value of volunteering is worth the effort.

“That’s why we’re put here on this planet,� Seiler said. “We’re here to help other people.�

FYI

The cancer society is seeking volunteer drivers. For information, call any of the Ventura County offices: Ventura, 644-6656; Oxnard, 983-8864; Thousand Oaks, 497-0114, or Simi Valley, 527-5360.